Horror 2026 Countdown: Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)

Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), dir. Michael Curtiz, Warner Bros. Vitaphone

Fay Wray's career was still going along and this point she was pretty much the de facto scream queen of Hollywood, even if the term wasn't used yet.

1921

Ivan Igor (Lionel Atwill) is a sculptor of great skill but poor repute. One night at his studio, he is paid a visit by three people. The first two are Dr. Rasmussen (Holmes Herbert) and his friend Mr. Galatalin (Claude King). Rasmussen brought the famed critic to showcase Igor's skills and possibly get the artist named to the Royal Gallery. Galatalin is deeply impressed and promises to do all he can to promote this remarkable art just as soon as he returns from Egypt.

The next visit is less than good tidings. Joe Worth (Edwin Maxwell) is Igor's partner. His news is that they are broke. Flat busted and frankly he blames Igor. After all, their wax museum has no chamber of horrors, no murder's row, basically nothing but old dead royalty and a few figures everyone's seen a thousand times before. 

Now, Joe has a solution. He happens to have a ten-thousand-dollar insurance policy on that dump. Why not leave a cigar out, let nature take it course and they collect the cash? Pity Joe underestimated how much Igor cared for his work, but Worth is younger and stronger. Igor is left inside the burning museum.

1933

There's a been a rash of body snatching from the city morgue. This ties into another gruesome story, the apparent suicide of socialite Joan Gale (Monica Bannister). Her boyfriend Winton (Gavin Gordon) is being held on suspicion, but when Joan's corpse is swiped from the morgue, this is all hotshot reporter Florence Dempsy (Glenda Farrell) needs to smell a story. Which is good, as her editor Jim (Frank McHugh) is about to fire her.

There is also the big news of the return of Ivan Igor. It seems he didn't die, but he is now conformed to a wheelchair. His hands are mostly useless, so he employes Ralph (Allen Vincent) to do most of the sculpting. Ralph is dating a gal named Charolette Duncan (Wray) and wouldn't you know it, she's Florence's roomate!

Igor also wants Charolette to pose for him. He intends for his new wax museum to showcase Marie Antoninette. When Florence tags along with Charolette, she can't help but notice how similar the Joan of Arc figure looks so much like the late Joan Gale. 

Yeah, things are looking quite sinister at the old wax museum. What of Joe Worth? You can bet Igor hasn't forgotten what the man did, not by a longshot...

Stodgy in parts and relies on a heck of a lot of coincidence but once you get past that then you are left with a gruesome thriller.